Frederick J. Chiaventone
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Frederick J. Chiaventone, (born March 25, 1951) also known as Fred Chiaventone, is a novelist, screenwriter, military historian, consultant, commentator, and retired cavalry officer. His novel ''A Road We Do Not Know: A Novel of Custer at the Little Bighorn'' won the 1999 Ambassador William E.
Colby Award The William E. Colby Military Writers' Award was established in 1999 by the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium at Norwich University in Vermont in order to recognize "a first work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contributi ...
.


Military

Chiaventone served in the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1993. His rank was Lieutenant Colonel. Chiaventone served as Chief of Special Operations for 6th US Army and, along with President George H.W. Bush, was interviewed about counterinsurgency operations by correspondent Gisela Duarte for the Salvadoran television program Frente-a-Frente. He is the inventor of the U.S. Army's Reserve Components Tank Commanders' Course. He has been a featured speaker at the National Press Club and colleges and universities throughout the United States. He is Professor Emeritus of International Security Affairs, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism and National Security at the United States Army Command and General Staff College.


Writing

Chiaventone has written a number of screenplays and books to include, ''A Road We Do Not Know: A Novel of Custer at the Little Bighorn'' (1996) and ''Moon of Bitter Cold'' (2002). Both books received rave reviews. One reviewer said of, ''A Road We Do Not Know...'', "An immensely effective and affecting first novel...it offers a powerful, unsparing portrait of close combat on the frontier." About ''Moon of Bitter Cold'', a reviewer called it, "meticulously accurate," "gritty," and "evenhanded." ''A Road We Do Not Know: A Novel of Custer at the Little Bighorn'' won the 1999 Ambassador William E. Colby Award. It was nominated for the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
, and voted the Best Novel of the Little Bighorn by the Little Big Horn Associates. He won a Western Heritage Wrangler award for his novel ''Moon of Bitter Cold''. and was inducted into the Western Heritage Hall of Fame. In 1997, Chiaventone was inducted into the elite "Colby Circle." Other writers associated with this group include:
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W.E.B. Griffin William Edmund Butterworth III (November 10, 1929 – February 12, 2019), better known by his pen name W. E. B. Griffin, was an American writer of military and detective fiction with 59 novels in seven series published under that name. Twenty-one ...
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James Webb James, Jim or Jimmy Webb may refer to: Arts *Jim Webb (born 1946), American author, also politician (see below) *James Webb (historian) (1946–1980), Scottish historian *James Webb (painter) (1825–1895), British painter * James Webb (South Afr ...
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Mark Bowden Mark Robert Bowden (; born July 17, 1951) is an American journalist and writer. He is a national correspondent for ''The Atlantic''. He is best known for his book ''Black Hawk Down (book), Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War'' (1999) about th ...
. This group of writers is recognized for their contributions "to public understanding of military and political affairs." Chiaventone's articles have appeared in the
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
, The New York Post, Los Angeles Times, The Foreign Service Journal, The Journal of the Army War College, American Heritage, Military Review, and Cowboys & Indians Magazine. He was also a Contributing Editor to the ''Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army'' and ''Oxford Companion to American Military History.'' and Armchair General magazine. He is the American correspondent for Military History Monthly (London). In 2011, his article at Wild West Magazine, "Taking Stock of the Pony Express," won the Western Heritage Award in the Magazine category. He has appeared on PBS' The American Experience and on the History Channel as a subject matter expert. He has also been a featured speaker at the National Press Club and numerous colleges, universities, and museums.


Film and television

Chiaventone holds a master's degree in film and television production from
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
. He has written, produced, and directed documentaries and news programs for the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
. His expertise lies in military history, guerilla warfare, counter terrorism, peacekeeping operations, and broadcast media. Chiaventone was the historical advisor to film and television productions including,
Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...
's '' The West'', TNT's '' Rough Riders'', and ''Two for Texas,'' which was the winner of the 1999 Western Heritage Award. He was the coach for principal actors and military and historical advisor for Ang Lee's '' Ride with the Devil''. An expert on guerrilla warfare and counter-insurgency, he was interviewed along with President George H. W. Bush for the Salvadoran television program "Frente-a-Frente" by the correspondent Gisele Duarte.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiaventone, Fred 21st-century American novelists San Francisco State University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College faculty 1951 births United States Army colonels Living people 20th-century American novelists